cactus as a tree?

[Ronald Butters]

Yes, of course, not to mention most contemporary concepts of word semantics. But that won't stop these folks from wrangling about whether ring-around-the-rosy is a game, a sport, or an exercise routine.

On Mar 11, 2012, at 12:20 PM, Michael Newman wrote:

> isn't all this discussion really just a perfect example of Wittgenstein's Family Resemblance theory of word meaning?
>
>
>
> Michael Newman
> Associate Professor of Linguistics
> Queens College/CUNY
> michael.newman at qc.cuny.edu
>
>
>
> On Mar 11, 2012, at 5:06 PM, Eric Nielsen wrote:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Eric Nielsen <ericbarnak at GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject:      Re: cactus as a tree?
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> I think you make a good point. "Tree" is not absolutely defined:
>>
>> "There is no set definition regarding minimum size, though most authors
>> cite a tree species as being one which regularly reaches 6 m (20 ft) tall."
>>
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trees_of_Britain_and_Ireland
>>
>> "Trees are woody plants at least 15 feet tall at maturity, with a
>> well-developed crown and a single stem, or trunk, at least several inches
>> in diameter."
>>
>> Brockman, C. Frank
>> "Trees of North America"
>> Golden Press, New York, 1968
>>
>> Size--and single vs. multiple stems--seem to be the more important
>> characteristics for distinguishing a tree from a bush:
>>
>> "A *shrub* or *bush* is distinguished from a
>> tree<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree>by its multiple stems and
>> shorter
>> height <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Height>, usually under 5=966 m (15=962=
>> 0
>> ft) tall."
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrub
>>
>> Many species may be a tree or a bush at maturity. This could be due to
>> environment or cultivation or....
>>
>> In fact, in my neck of the woods, Sassafras (*Sassafras albidum)* can often
>> occur as a bush and a tree--even within a few feet of each other. I seem to
>> remember coming upon the phrase "may occur as a tree in southern regions"
>> (or some such) when reading plant descriptions many years ago. I think it
>> may be a similar case with mulberries: sometimes they are a bush; sometimes
>> a tree. A search of "mulberry bush" in Google Images will give some
>> examples:
>>
>> http://tiny.cc/n9j0aw
>>
>> Eric
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Mar 10, 2012 at 3:28 PM, Michael McKernan <mckernan51 at gmail.com>wro=
>> te:
>>
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>> -----------------------
>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster:       Michael McKernan <mckernan51 at GMAIL.COM>
>>> Subject:      Re: cactus as a tree?
>>>
>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
>> ------
>>>
>>> I believe that botanists do not use the term "tree" as a technical term, =
>> so
>>> you're barking up the wrong tree if you want to be botanically technical
>>> about what "tree" means.
>>>
>>> Michael McKernan
>>> Benson, Arizona (just a few miles from the Saguaros of the Sonoran Desert=
>> ).
>>>
>>>
>>
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>
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